Ceramic process



April il, 1944. F. cf HENDERSON CERAMIC PROCESS Filed April 10, 1942 MYER QL i725 W1 is@ REPS/.L FIN T/REH am www 5MM f ,MW www mm n LC MB Kp E PMM m Patented Apr. 11, 1944 CERAM-IC PROCESS Frederick C. Henderson, East Liverpool, Ohio, assignor to 'The Hall China Company,I East Liverpool, Ohio, a corporation Application April 1o, 1942, serial No. 438,473

(cl. 11i-4m 8 Claims.

My present invention relates to an improved Ceramic process or method of decorating or ornamenting chinaware and similar articles. The process or method involves the application of two or more coats of ceramic glazes, one on each of adjoining areas of the surface of the article to be decorated, and before the glaze on the cast or molded article is' red.

These glazes are applied to the surface of the l ware in such manner that the adjoining edges of adjacent, and possibly contrasting glazed areas, lines, gures, etc., willnot merge or run together during the subsequent firing of the decorated article; but on the other hand, the procedure according to my process insures clear cut meeting or contacting lines and distinct lines of demarcation between adjoining edges of the two glazed areas, thus providing the required decorations or ornamentations with neat and artistic finishes. i

The adjoining glazed areas, lines, figures, etc.,v

applied to the surface of the ceramic ware, are usually of different natures and characteristics, and made up in contrasting colors; or in other instances the two or more adjoining glazes applied to the ware may be of different shades of the same color. For instance, and as a simple illustration of my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawing a ceramic bowl,` which may have an interior glaze of one color, an exterior glaze of another color, and the rim or top edge of the bowl is to be decorated with another glaze of another color. p

In order to facilitate understanding of the invention and as one illustration of the manner in which the steps in the process or method of my invention are carried out, I first employ and 'apply toa specic area of the surface of the anred ware to be decorated or ornamented Va ceramic glaze that is waterproof, and the ingredients of the glaze are carried in a vehicle that is water-repellent when applied to the article for decorative purposes. An adjoining area on the surface of the article, to be decorated is next coated with a ceramic water-glaze. After the two (or more), glazes have thus been applied to the bowl, the latter is red and the finished article is found to have clear and clean cut lines of contact between adjoining glazed surfaces of the bowl. Thus in the process of decorating or ornamenting the porous uniired ware a minimum of two successive steps are employed, the rst involving the application of a glaze including a water repellent mobile liquid vehicle which penetrates the porous surface of the ware; and the second step involves the application of a glaze having a penetrating vehicle that is incapable of mixing or merging with and is repelled by the vehicle of the first glaze. As an illustration of two immiscible vehicles that may be employed in the steps of my process the rst vehicle may be liquid parain Wax, and the second vehicle may be water; but it will be understood that I do not limit my invention to these specific vehicles.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one mode that may be employed in applying the water-proof and water-repellent glaze to the porous ceramic ware or unred china bowl, but it will be understood that other means may beemployed if they are suitable for my Figure 1 is a sectional view of a tank containing the water-proof and water-repellent glaze, showing an elevated screen-table on which the circular rim or top edge of the bowl is touched to absorb by capillary attraction the glaze.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tank in Figure 1, showing by circular dotted lines the relative position of the rim or edge of the bowl.

Figure 3 is a, diagrammatic, exaggerated, view illustrating the water-repellent area between a waterproof glaze and two water-glazes.

The waterproof glaze is made up of, or prepared'principally from a dry powder glaze which is incorporated in and carried by a vehicle in the nature of and having the characteristics of melted wax, the glaze mixture being a mobile liquid approximating the thickness or viscosity of thick oil. I nd that paraffin is a preferred vehicle or carrier for the ceramic glaze ingredients, because it not only is waterproof and a water-repellent, but it also is capable of resisting the action of acids and alkalis that might be used in the ceramic art.

.This dry powdered glaze material that is incorporated in and employed jointly with the melted parafln wax may include flint, feldspar, Whiting, clay and magnesite, or other suitable glaze or enamel ingredient, without a colorant or with a colorant.

These glaze materials are rst ground very fine in water, then dried out in suitable manner, andiilnally ground or crushed to a very ne powder. f

To prevent these materials, as ne powders, of the glaze from coalescng or adhering, or forming lumps, while in suspension in the glaze mixture, I utilize a deilocculent in the glaze mixture, such as zinc naphthenate, to maintain a uniform consistency throughout the liquid glaze mixture, which insures a smooth glaze surface when applied to the ware to be decorated, when the ware, as a bowl, is red.

To counteract the odor arising from the zinc naphthenate in the mixture I may add a deodorant or counterodorant to the mixture, such as distilled pine oil which is satisfactory for the purpose.

I have attained very satisfactory results in a ceramic glaze employing the ingredients of the mixture in approximately the following quantities:

Y Per cent Parain 0 l5 Dry powdered glaze 50 Zinc naphthenate 2 Pine oil in the ratio of 2%, cubic centimeters to 1000 grams of parain, and a colorant if desired.

In one mode of preparing this ceramic glaze the desired quantity of parafiin in the form of wax is melted in the tank I by use of the electric heaters 2 located beneath the central well of the tank, and as soon as the parain has been melted and liquiiied to the desired consistency, the dry powdered glaze, the deilocculent, and the deodorlzer, as well as a colorant, are added ,gradually to the liquid paraiiln. By means of a rotary agitator 3 that is operated by an electric motor 4 clamped on an edge of the tank the various ingredients are stirred 4and agitated and .suspended in the liquid parafiln, it being understood that the heaters 2 are utilized to maintain the liquid consistency of the paraiiin, not y l only while the wax-glaze is -being mixed, but

also while the glaze is being applied, if necessary.

While heating, theliquied mixture is stirred or agitated until the various ingredients or constituents are uniformly distributed in a homogeneous, smooth, iluent compact mass, espe-` cially in the upper portion of the tank above the agitator or rotary impeller 3. To aid in pre-k paring this iluent texture of the waterproof glaze and in enhancing the uniformity in consistency throughout the glaze mixture, a h'orizontal screen-table 5 may be vertically reciprocated by means cf the cam devices B, 6, which support the screen-table.' These cam devices may be actuated manually, automatically, or by treadles, or the screen-table may be elevated l and lowered in any other suitable manner. The

screen-table, which is reticulated, may be of muslin, copper or ne bronze screen material of approximately eighty mesh, and the horizontally supported screen may be vertically reciprocated, as a separator or strainer, in the upper bulk portion of the wax glaze, above the impeller or agitator, to assist in maintaining the solids of the glaze in suspension and assist the deilocculent in preventing the grains or dust In the drawing I have for convenience of illustration shown a chinaware bowl B having a circular rim R, to which rim or edge of the bowl the waterproof glaze is to be applied. First the cams 6, 6, are employed to lift the submerged dotted-line screen to the full-line elevated position in Figure 1, in order that the athorizontal screen with its covering or coating of mobile and uent waterproof liquid glaze, may be used as a dipping table for the bowl. The bowl in inverted position is then touched or lightly dipped, by hand, in contact with the liquid glaze that is supported on the top of the screen table, and then the bowl is removed. By capillary attraction of the liquid portion of the glaze, wax is absorbed by the rim R of the bowl B, and the solids of the glaze are applied to the rim or edge R to provide the coating. In Figure 3 this waterproof glaze is indicated, and at the sides of this glaze two hair-lines are shown to indicate water-repellant areas, which areas are formed by the liquid content of the waterproof glaze which creeps slightly, out, beyond the solid body of the glaze that is made up of the different powdered materials heretofore enumerated. The liquid content or vehicle of the glaze contacting with the bowl penetrates the surface of the porous ware, and this creeping of a portion of the liquid content provides a thin lm that forms the water-repellant area or hair line. This contact line caused by creepage of the vehicle is suiiicient to repel a second glaze and thereby eliminate possibility of merging the first and second glazes during subsequent ring of the'bowl.

In Figure 3, in addition to the waterproof glaze with its two water repellant areas, I. also indicate two Water glazes, one at each side of the waterproof glaze. These water glazes may contain the same ingredients as are included in the waterproof glaze, but they are carried in water as a vehicle; or these water glazes may be standard types of glazes, and like the waterproof glaze, they may also be colored, or noncolored. In either event, because of the water content of the Water glaze, when the upright bowl B- is dipped in a water glaze to receive an exterior glaze, for instance, the moisture of the water glaze is stopped and repelled when it contacts with the hairline of parafn that forms the water repellant area indicated in the draw. ing.

The applied glazes of course solidify by coolingv or drying so that the ware with the glazes applied is readyy for the usual iiring of the bowl to insure the smooth red nish of the glaze in the ornamental or decorative features of the bowl.

yIn this manner the ware, as a china bowl, may be decorated or ornamented by the application of glazes in lines, gures, bands, etc., either in contrasting colors, in differing shades of the same color, or the glazes may be colorless, and they are applied to a variety of metallic or nonmetallic ceramic articles.

While I have conned my description to the use of an organic vehicle as molten or melted paraflin wax as the carrier for the ingredients forming the inorganic glaze, it will be understood that other suitable materials may be employed. Further, while I have referred to zinc naphthenate as the deflocculent employed to reduce the tendency of the inorganic portion of the waterproof glaze mixture to separate vfrom Aired porous ware which consist in successively applying toA adjoining surface-areas mobile liquid glazes which include two immiscible vehicles at least one of which penetrates the ware and forms an intermediate non-glazed area to prevent merging of the glazes during ring; dry the applied glazes; and iinally firing the glazed ware.

2. The steps in the processof decorating unred porous ware which consist in applying to a surface-area a glaze including a mobile liquid vehicle which penetrates the ware, creeps beyond the glaze, and thereby forms a non-glazed edge at the border of the glaze; then applying to an adjoining surface-area a glaze having a liquid vehicle that is incapable of mixing with the iirst vehicle and nally firing the glazed ware.

3. The steps in the process of decorating unfiredy porous ware which consist in applying to a surface-area a, glaze including a waterproof mobile wax as a vehicle which penetrates the ware, creeps beyond the glaze and thereby forms a water-repellent non-glazed edge at the border of the glaze; then applying to an adjoining surface-area a glaze having a water-vehicle; dryingthe applied glazes; and finally ring the glazed ware. v

4. The process of decorating uniired` ceramic 4ware and similar porous articles which consists in applying to the article a penetrating waterproof glaze which creeps to form a coating having a water-repellant non-glazed edge, applying a penetrating water-glaze to a surface area adjoining said edge and thus forming an intermediate non-glazed area to prevent merging of the two glazes during tiring: and finally firing the article.

5. The process of decorating porous unfired ceramic ware which consists in applying a penetrating waterproof glaze of one color which creeps and forms a coating having a waterrepellant non-glazed edge; then applying .a penetrating water-glaze of another color to a surface-area adjoining said edge and thus forming an intermediate non-glazed area to prevent merging of the two glazes during ring; and finally ring the ware.

6. The process of decorating unred porous ware which consists in heating and agitating a mobile liquid waterproof glaze in a container; applying this glaze to the ware to penetrate its surface and form a coating having a nonglazed water-repellant edge; heating and agitating a water-glaze in a container, applying the water-glaze to a surface-area adjoining said edge and thus vforming an intermediate nonglazed area to prevent merging of the two glazes 'during firing; and finally firing the glazed Ware.

7. The process of applying glazes of variousv colors on adjoining surface-areas of unred porous ware which consists in dipping a surfacearea of the ware into a mobile liquid glaze of one color and including a water-repellant vehicle which penetrates the ware and creeps beyond the glaze thereby forming a non-glazed waterproof line beyond the solid portion of the glaze: then applying a glaze of another color and having .a water vehicle to an adjoining surfacearea of theware whereby the second vehicle is repelled at said line toprevent merging of the glazes; drying the glazes; and nally ring the glazed ware.

8. The process of decorating unilred porous ceramic ware'which consists in heating a glaze mixture including a waterproof vehicle in a container, dipping a surface-area of the ware in said mixture whereby the vehicle penetrates the ware and creeps beyond the glaze of the mixture to form a water-repellent non-glazed line beyondv the s olid portion of the glaze, then applying a glaze of another color and having a water vehicle to an adjoining surface-area of the were whereby the second vehicle is repelled at said line to prevent merging of the glazes, the glazes, and nally iiring the glazed ware.

FREDERICK C. HENDERSON. 

